by D. K. Combs
The brother’s jaws dropped.
And then came Dad…
“Mari,” he said slowly as he walked up behind the brothers. His gaze flicked over to Ray, who was paling like a ghost—which he would probably be in less than a minute, if the look in her brother’s eyes said anything.
“Who is your…friend?” her mom asked thinly, bringing a hand to her temple. Her dazed eyes looked to her father for help.
Mari swallowed down the nerves, realizing that Ambrose probably had it a hundred times worse. She looked at him, expecting him to be completely comatose in the face of her family like everyone normally was, and she almost squeaked with surprised.
He dropped his arms from around her, leaving only a hand at the small of her back, and stepped forward. “Ambrose Katariglos.” He shook her stunned mom’s hand and then her dad's. The brothers gave him only a curt nod before they started down the porch steps, making their way toward Ray.
They were going to kill him. That’s the only thing Mari could think while watching her brothers. And strangely, she didn't care.
“Savannah Sampson,” her mom murmured. She couldn’t seem to take her gaze off of Ambrose, and Mari understood why completely.
“Jacob Sampson,” her father said, voice strong in the face of the only man who had ever topped him in height. Ambrose bowed his head to both of them before turning to Mari.
“We need to talk.”
“Oh, yes we do!” her mom hissed, apparently snapping out of her stupor.
Mari bit her lip, unable to look away from Ambrose. “I think he means just us...”
Her mom's eyes snapped fire at Mari, and she pressed herself closer to Ambrose for protection. “I want answers. Now. Get inside the house, Mari.” She stabbed her finger back at the door, lips pressed firmly.
“Mom, I’m not a teenager that you can—"
"Please humor me," she said dryly, before turning on her heel and retreating into the house. "Think we’re in trouble?” Ambrose whispered.
She paused at the sound of fists hitting flesh. "Probably not as much as Ray. Either way, we need to hurry so I can see Deimos.”
Ambrose growled low in his throat. “Did you not miss me at all?”
“Of course I did! When I realized who you were...All of it came back.”
He froze, then walked over to her, taking her arm in his hand gently. “Gods, when I saw that creature...Never again, Mari.” His eyes flipped to hers. “Never again will you paralyze me like that. I was so helpless—couldn’t call for help, couldn’t save you...I couldn’t do anything. You are to never do that again...”
She nodded silently, looking at her hands. Mari never wanted to do that again. “What happened—”
Her mom burst into the kitchen, eyes blazing, finger raised for pointing. “We’ll talk about this later,” Ambrose said into her ear quietly, eyeing her mom wearily.
“Good idea,” she whispered back as her mother and father strode into the kitchen.
Her father leaned against the wall, arms over his chest, as her mom took the stage. “Now, who are you, and how do you know my daughter.”
She cast a quick glance at Ambrose, then looked at her parents. How did she tell them that he was her mermaid lover without being thrown into an asylum?
Ambrose answered for her. “A very good friend. We met through the cruise." That technically wasn't a lie. The way his hand curled around her hip belied his words. "Very good friends" her ass.
Mari wanted to hide when her mom's mouth thinned. Apparently, she didn't believe that either. Her father looked at Mari with a raised brow.
“Now, Mari. We love you. But you do realize you barely know this man, and you've just got out of a relationship…”
“You don’t know what Ambrose and I went through together.” And she definitely never would.
Her mom waved a hand. "I'm just trying to warn you against moving too fast—so that neither of you get hurt."
Mari closed her eyes and tried to breathe calmly. If only she could explain what had happened to them without sounding like she was having a psychotic break.
She quickly looked at Ambrose and was shocked, yet pleased, to see that he was holding up fine. His face was settled into an easy smile and nothing her mother said seemed to affect him.
“Ma’am,” he said. "With all due respect, after everything Mari and I went through, I don't think I would qualify this as a rebound relationship. And even if it is, I still want to know where it can go." Mari could have sworn there was a little brown stuck to his nose, that little ass kisser.
Her mom was silent, then nodded. Her father stayed against the wall, smiling.
* * *
“We need to get you to the ocean as soon as we can, but I want to prepare you.” Later, when everyone had a chance to relax, Ambrose and Mari finally had a moment to themselves.
“Prepare me for what?” she asked, eyes wide. He slid open the sliding glass doors that faced the shore, then walked with her to the edge of the porch.
He took hold of her face gently. The look in his eyes as he stared down at her took her breath away.
“I am not,” he said lowly, “allowing you to stay here. Your family may love you, but I need you. And you need Atlantis. I do not mind visits—I have the power to allow you to meet with them, but when the time permits it. You are going to be my queen. By the time we are fully submerged into the water, your body will have adjusted into the natural state it was meant to be.
“The gods were gracious enough to let me know that the minor god and major god confusion was only your body getting used to the new circumstances. That means no more weird possessions, no more ‘I’m Mari and I’m going to kill everyone’ tirades, and no more paralyzing me. And, more importantly, no more mood swings. You'll find your old self coming back soon, and you won't have any unpredictable powers or emotional outbursts anymore."
He paused as he let his words sink in. Thank Lord, she thought. Now that she looked back on it, she was appalled at how child-like she'd been. Hopefully in a few years, she'd be able to look back and laugh at about it. Seriously, who in the right mind would mull over whether fish farted or not?
“I love you. So that means that until I say otherwise—which will be never— you will be in my bed, naked and ready for me. I will do my duties as king, and you will do yours as my mate. I lost you once—and I intend to have my way with you until I’m fully convinced that I will never lose you again.”
Mari had a feeling that she wasn’t going to mind that part of his list of demands. She sort of enjoyed how demanding he was over her.
Before she got too bothered to say anything, she asked, "What happened to H'Sai, Ceto, and that...that thing that attacked me?"
“H’Sai is locked up as a traitor for allowing Ceto and that creature into the city with the intent to harm. Both Ceto and that red thing escaped. The second you disappeared, Deimos flashed from the room.”
“So you mean they are still out there?” she asked, worrying her lip. Were they always going to be plagued by Ceto? Would she not ever stop?
Ambrose nodded, caressing her cheek. His eyes were as sincere as his voice when he spoke. “They are. But because of what happened to you, the gods conceded to make a special barrier. They had no clue the creature existed before now, but they are doing everything they can to protect Atlantis.”
Relief crashed through her. “Thank God…” A thought struck her. "That thing broke my arm, but it's sort of...not broken right now."
"You might not have a tail right now, but you're still an Atlantean. You must have healed before coming to."
"Those people on the beach really had a show, then," she muttered, rubbing her arm.
“Also. About your parents. I’m going to take you back tonight to Atlantis, flash them home, and they will forget about this whole incident.”
“But—“
“Wait for me to finish, Mari,” he said admonishingly. She closed her mouth, glaring at him.
Amb
rose only smiled. “Instead of remembering today, they are going to think that you came home safely from the cruise, broke up with that piece of shit on the deck, and moved to the beach, where you met me. Any time you wish to visit your parents or brothers, you will do it here. I can’t keep you away from the water and risk losing you. If you change and someone sees you…”
He trailed off, swallowing. “I refuse to lose you, Mari.”
She kissed his chest softly, heart thundering. “And I, you.”
“Tonight we will leave,” he said as he crushed her against his chest. She could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart under her ear, and she smiled.
Then frowned.
“Wait—how do I have legs still?”
“You went into the ocean almost every day. Your body sensed your need to remain human. Every time you touched the ocean or went near it, you saved yourself from dehydrating.”
“But…how did you know?”
“How do you think I found you? I could sense you. Every time you left the ocean, the connection was cut off. But you kept coming back. There is literally nothing that will keep us a part,” he whispered, putting his hand at the back of her neck and pulling her face to his.
“Nothing, Mari. Not land, not your family, not our enemies. Not even death. Wherever you go, I will follow you. I wouldn’t be able to function without that damn finger stabbing my chest every time you get mad. I wouldn’t be able to go to sleep at night without holding you in my arms, knowing you’re safe. I wouldn’t be able to live without you in my life.”
Her eyes stung. For once, he was doing all the talking, and she was lucky—she doubted she could speak with how choked up he was making her. “Oh, Ambrose…”
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he growled.
Before she could speak, he bent down and captured her lips with his.
As tendrils of desire curled throughout her body, Mari knew she would never leave Ambrose. He had taken her heart captive, and there was no one, and nothing, that could separate them.
Also by D. K. Combs
Published Works
The Highlander’s touch
The Bet
Her Assassin
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Coming Soon
Atlantis: The Warrior’s End
The Highlander’s Kiss
Eternal Chaos
About the Author
D.K. Combs is an author of erotica, historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance. She currently resides in the dessert heat of Nevada with her supportive husband, son, and of course, her German Shepherds.
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Combs began writing long before the exposition of her most famous title to date, The Highlander's Touch. Writing has always been her passion and creating creatures with no true name and the women that fall for them is what she considers a great way to live. When not writing, Combs is reading. Her idea of heaven is a whole day of nothing and baby snuggles.
For more information...
amazon.com/author/dkcombs
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